a Innovative Medical Research Center, Department of Immunology , Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University , Mashhad , Iran.
b Allergy Research Center, Mashhad , University of Medical Sciences , Mashhad , Iran.
Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2017 Dec;39(6):348-353. doi: 10.1080/08923973.2017.1379087. Epub 2017 Sep 27.
The immune system through T-helper 1 (Th1) and Th17 cells play a critical role in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), whereas the Th2 responses inhibit myelin degeneration. Artemisinin, as an anti-malaria as its agent, has been used widely in the treatment of malaria, shifts the lymphocyte responses from Th1 to Th2.
In this study, we have investigated the therapeutic effects of artemisinin on the EAE treatment.
EAE was induced in the inbred C57BL6 mice. High and low doses of prednisolone and artemisinin were injected daily with the control and test groups, respectively. The spleen and the brain of the mice were removed and used for ELISA and histological studies.
The mean weight of mice was significantly (p value < .05) higher in artemisinin-treated group compared with the untreated group, whereas, the mean EAE score of mice was significantly (p value < .05) lower in the artemisinin-treated group compared with the untreated group. The brain histology shows the absence of plaque formation in the artemisinin treated group. The concentration of IFN-γ in the low dose of artemisinin treated group showed significantly (p value < .05) lower in comparison to the untreated group. IL-4 concentration was significantly (p value < .05) higher in the treated groups than the control group.
Since, artemisinin can shift the immune responses from Th1 to Th2, therefore, it can be helpful in the treatment of MS after more investigation.
辅助性 T 细胞 1（Th1）和 Th17 细胞通过免疫系统在实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎（EAE）的发病机制中发挥关键作用，而 Th2 反应则抑制髓鞘变性。青蒿素作为一种抗疟药物，已广泛用于治疗疟疾，可将淋巴细胞反应从 Th1 转变为 Th2。
本研究旨在探讨青蒿素对 EAE 治疗的疗效。
将同源 C57BL6 小鼠诱导发生 EAE。用高、低剂量的泼尼松龙和青蒿素分别对对照组和实验组进行每日注射。从各组小鼠中取出脾脏和脑组织，用于 ELISA 和组织学研究。
与未治疗组相比，青蒿素治疗组的小鼠平均体重显著升高（p 值 < 0.05），而青蒿素治疗组的小鼠 EAE 评分显著降低（p 值 < 0.05）。脑组织学检查显示青蒿素治疗组未见斑块形成。与未治疗组相比，低剂量青蒿素治疗组 IFN-γ 浓度显著降低（p 值 < 0.05）。与对照组相比，治疗组的 IL-4 浓度显著升高（p 值 < 0.05）。
由于青蒿素可将免疫反应从 Th1 转变为 Th2，因此，它可能有助于进一步研究后治疗多发性硬化症。
